How To Dig In When Planting `The Queen Of All Flowers`

March 26, 1989|By Art Kozelka.

Millions of new roses will be planted this spring, many for the first time by home gardeners no longer able to resist the charm and elegance of the ``queen of all flowers,`` our national floral emblem.

Those contemplating planting their first bed may welcome suggestions to ensure success as they anticipate the first flush of blooms in June.

Choosing a proper site is a good way to start. A highly visible location where they can readily be seen and admired is an asset. Ideally, the site will get full sun, though roses will do well with five or six hours of direct sunlight a day. Good air circulation helps dew and rain dry off quickly, thus discouraging diseases.

As for the soil, a loamy type with high humus content that offers good drainage is essential. Almost any type can be readily improved, however, with organic additives such as peat moss, compost, dehydrated cow manure or shredded bark. If the site grows good grass, chances are it will grow fine roses.

Roses are sold as dormant, bare-root plants, such as those usually shipped by mail-order nurseries, or already growing in containers as offered at local garden centers. The bare-root plants should be planted as soon as soil is workable and sharp freezes are no longer expected. This usually is about mid-April. Those growing in containers can be planted any time during the growing season.

In any case, plants sould be inspected carefully to make sure canes are smooth, plump and green or reddish, all indications of vigor. Choice specimens will have at least three canes, each 3/8 inch in diameter. Avoid dormant plants that have sprouted excessively or are shriveled.

It is good to know the distinct variations found in the more popular classifications of roses, grouped according to growth and flowering characteristics.

Floribundas, for example, are compact 2- to 4-foot plants that bear a profusion of flower clusters; hybrid teas produce the showy, well formed blooms on upright, branching plants 4 or more feet tall; grandifloras combine the best attributes of the teas and floribundas and usually grow taller than either; climbers have long, arching canes with varied types of blooms, and miniatures are a diminutive version of the other groups with proportionately smaller blossoms and foliage.

One problem first-time growers have in common with rosarians of long standing is choosing what to plant from the hundreds of new and older varieties available. Catalogues of specialist growers make them all appealing. Factors influencing one`s choice invariably are fragrance, color and how one intends to use the roses.

Noteworthy among roses making their debut this spring are the four All-America Rose Selections, whose high-rated performance in two-year test gardens makes them a good choice for the beginner as well as for the experienced grower. The rose-selections organization, maintained by the nation`s rose growers, tests the many new varieties produced each year. The four winners are:

Class Act, a floribunda with an abundance of white, 4-inch blooms with slight fragrance. Foliage is dark green and glossy.

Debut, a showy, 12- to 18-inch-high miniature with rich scarlet buds that open to double red blooms suffused over white at the petal base.

New Beginning, another colorful miniature with orange-red and yellow blend flowers borne on 18-inch plants.

The two miniatures are the first in the 50-year history of All-America Rose Selections to win the coveted award, reflecting the increasing popularity of these dainty roses. Ideal for border plantings or limited-space gardens, they also are obvious candidates for container and window-box plantings.

Contrary to what some believe, growing roses is not as difficult as it once was. Improved hybrid plants and development of new products that effectively control pests and diseases have combined to ease the task. Given reasonable care, they will flourish in any garden, responding favorably to a regular program of feeding, watering and spraying as do other garden plants.

Guidelines for planting and basic care of roses, as well as landscaping suggestions, are featured in a 24-page free brochure published by All-America Rose Selections. To obtain a copy, request ``Discover the Pleasure of Roses`` and send a stamped business-size envelope to Department NW, AARS, 221 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, Ill. 60601. -